


From Neighbours to Roommates

by Pokeluv101



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Neighbors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26410375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pokeluv101/pseuds/Pokeluv101
Summary: Kuro is being kicked out of his apartment and he doesn’t know where he could go on short notice. Mahiru lets Kuro stay in his guest room. (KuroMahi, Neighbours AU)
Relationships: Kuro | Sleepy Ash/Shirota Mahiru
Kudos: 47





	From Neighbours to Roommates

“I’m glad that I made it to the store in time for the sale rush.” Mahiru spoke with his friend over the phone. He pulled several bags out of his car and joked, “I think I bought too much food though. If you can see me now, you’ll laugh. Do you and Tetsu want to come over and eat? Oh, you already have dinner plans with him. It’s okay, Misono. Enjoy your date with him.”

He set the bags down from a moment so he could free his hand to end the call. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed someone park in the spot next to him. He recognized the car as Kuro’s and Mahiru stepped back to give him enough space to leave his car. He waved to him and greeted him with a bright smile. “Hello, Kuro. Are you coming back from work?”

“Gear asked me to pick up his shift because he wanted to watch a movie with Youtarou. I didn’t want to see them being all lovey-dovey so I decided to take his shift. I’ve known Gear for years and I’ve never seen him as happy as he is now. It’s kinda’ unsettling.” Kuro said and pretended to make a horrified expression. Next to him, Mahiru giggled.

His heart skipped a few beats when Kuro reached out to him. He didn’t touch his face like he expected but picked up one of his grocery bags. Mahiru tried to hide the slight disappointment he felt. “You bought enough food to feed twenty people. Do you need help carrying these? You live next door to me so your apartment is on the way.”

“Oh, thank you, Kuro.” Mahiru blushed at his own thoughts. They were neighbours and they went to the same university so they had gotten to know each other. He thought of asking Kuro on a date but he didn’t know if he was interested as well. “Let me cook something to thank you. You’ll get free food and avoid walking in on the two kissing. I heard Gear yell at you the last time you accidentally interrupted them.”

“Your apartment has become a safe haven lately.” While he jokingly complained about his friend, Mahiru knew the two were close. Kuro carried most of the bags and Mahiru had to admire how strong he was. “Gear’s troublesome but we’ve been friends since we were six years old and he punched me for accidentally stepping on his flowers. I don’t know what that says about me.”

“I think it shows that you’re a good person who doesn’t judge others.” Mahiru said as they stepped into the elevator. He pressed the button to their floor and leaned back against the wall. “What do you want to eat for dinner? I’ve been practising a lot of new dishes since I moved to London. It would be nice to have a London boy try it to tell me if it tastes authentic.”

“ _I’ll gladly volunteer my services, Love. I already fancy your cooking_.” Kuro said in English and his accent was alluring. He returned to speaking in Japanese when he added, “Everything you cook tastes great so I don’t mind being your test rat with food.”

“You make it sound like I’m doing experiments on you.” He laughed and jokingly punched his arm. Mahiru had moved halfway across the world to attend a university in London. Between the new language and the change in time zone, Mahiru had trouble adjusting at first. Kuro spoke Japanese so he helped him become comfortable in the new city.

The elevator’s bell rang and signalled that they had reached their floor. They continued to talk as they walked down the hall and Kuro found himself staring at Mahiru’s lips. The casual smile he always wore could rival the sun in its brightness. Kuro liked to spend time with him. He was a reserved person so he didn’t have many friends but something about Mahiru drew him to him.

“I should text Gear and tell him that I’m having dinner at your place.” Kuro said. Before Mahiru could take out his keys to let him in, the door next to them opened. He was slightly confused when Gear walked out since he thought he would still be busy with his date.

“You’re back late. I’m guessing you ended your shift on schedule but took your time walking up here.” Gear said pointedly and looked from him to Mahiru. Kuro hoped that Mahiru wouldn’t read too much into his words. He had told his friends about his feelings for Mahiru and he was starting to regret doing so. He was glad that Gear moved on to say, “There was something I need to talk to you about.”

“Are you going to yell at me for leaving dirty dishes in the sink? I’ll wash them after I finish helping Mahiru with these grocery bags.” Kuro told him. While he was speaking with Gear, Mahiru unlocked his door and waited for him in the entrance. He didn’t know how long their conversation would be but Gear’s expression made him think that it was something serious.

Kuro and Mahiru were both shocked when Gear said: “I’m kicking you out of the apartment.”

“What?” Kuro and Mahiru yelled at the same time. Despite how curt and ungraceful Gear was with his words, they were good friends who rarely had a serious fight. He couldn’t think of anything that would make him kick him out of the apartment. Kuro was the first to recover from the shock and asked, “Did the landlord say something about the cat I sneaked into the apartment?”

“Yes, but that’s not the reason. Since Youtarou’s grandmother died, the lawyers are arguing over which relative gets the cottage he shared with her. He needs a place to stay and I said he could live with me. The apartment’s close to the university so it’ll be easier for him to travel.” Gear explained. Kuro understood that he would want to help Youtarou but he wished he discussed it with him first.

“I want to help Youtarou too but you can’t kick me out without any notice. The apartment only has two rooms but he can sleep in your room. I don’t mind if Youtarou moves in.” Kuro tried to compromise with Gear. “My family lives cities away so I can’t stay with them on such short notice. You know I don’t have the money to rent a hotel while I’m searching for a new place to stay either.”

“I can give you back the rent money you gave me this month.”

“Why are you kicking me out so suddenly? You can’t be that heartless.”

“Excuse me,” Mahiru placed his bags on the ground and then stepped between them. He didn’t know why Gear would kick him out but he didn’t want them to fight. He placed his hands onto Kuro’s chest and the light touch seemed to calm Kuro. “You two shouldn’t fight in the hall. We’re all mature adults here so let’s talk about this. Gear, do you really think Youtarou wants you to kick out your best friend?”

“I didn’t ask. He’s already under a lot of stress because of his grandmother’s passing and I don’t want to put more problems onto him.” Gear’s voice was flat as he spoke. Mahiru looked worriedly at Kuro and he wondered how he would react. He must’ve been hurt to be pushed away by a friend so callously. At the same time, Mahiru didn’t think Gear was the type to abandon a friend.

Mahiru took Kuro’s hand and said, “I know a solution! Thinking simply, Kuro can stay in my apartment while he searches for a new place to stay. I have an extra room that you can use. You should go get your stuff and move them over tonight. I’ll go prepare the room for you.”

Before Kuro could answer, Mahiru disappeared into his apartment. He didn’t know if he should accept his kind offer and groaned at the confusing situation. First, he needed to know why Gear would suddenly kick him out. They were friends and he knew that Gear was rarely cruel without a reason. He walked into the apartment he shared with his friend and faced him.

“What the hell was that about, Gear?” Kuro asked.

“Youtarou needs a place to stay and you need to do something about your feelings for Mahiru. This way, everyone wins.” Gear shrugged and then sat on the couch to read. He didn’t look up from his book when he added: “It was sad and tiring to watch you acting like a lovesick fool around him.”

“Wait, did you make a big scene of kicking me out on purpose? You did it in front of Mahiru so he would offer to let me stay. You’re the smartest person I know but you’re shit with words and personal stuff like this.” Kuro groaned and ran his hand through his hair. “I can’t stay with him knowing that it’s part of your scheme.”

Gear didn’t respond to his words but said: “Make sure to come over for our video game night every Friday.”

* * *

“Why can’t I have normal friends?” Kuro mumbled to himself as he walked the short distance to Mahiru’s home. The door was slightly ajar and he knew that Mahiru had left it open so he could carry his things into the apartment easily. Gear wanted to help him become closer to Mahiru but Kuro didn’t want to take advantage of his kindness. He had decided to talk to him and tell him Gear’s plan. Hopefully, he could do so without revealing his feelings.

He walked inside and he could hear Mahiru humming’s flow through the hall. Kuro followed his voice to the guest room. His eyes fell onto Mahiru standing in front of the closet. He was standing on his toes and stretching towards a thick futon on the top shelf. Mahiru’s back was turned to him so he didn’t notice that he had entered the room.

“How did I manage to get the futon on the shelf to begin with? It’ll be nice to finally have someone tall to help me with things like this.” He heard Mahiru muse to himself. He stretched a little further and his shirt rose slightly. Kuro found Mahiru attractive but he forced himself not to stare. He stood next to him and easily pulled the futon down from its place.

“You should know that it’s bad to keep your door open, Mahiru. A dangerous man could’ve walked. Luckily, you only have to deal with a stray cat who’s ‘tall enough to help you with things like this’.” Kuro repeated his words with a light laugh. His smile was subtle but Mahiru thought it was full of warmth. He placed the futon on the floor and Mahiru began to spread it out.

“I don’t have to worry about someone attacking me. You’re next door and I only need to scream for you to run to my rescue.” Mahiru said confidently. “I don’t have a proper bed in the guest room because people rarely stay over. My friends usually sleep on the pull-out couch. You’ll need a proper bed and we should buy one soon. I hope you don’t mind sleeping on a futon until then. Oh, where are your things?”

“I need to talk to you about moving in.” Kuro said. He sat down on the futon and Mahiru wondered why he had a guilty expression. “I don’t know why but Gear wanted to play matchmaker for us. He started a fight about moving out knowing that you’re the type of person who would take in a stray cat. I’m sorry that he caused you trouble. I’ll talk to him.”

“Matchmaker?” Mahiru had a slight blush on his cheeks as he sat next to him. He looked down at his hands on his lap and thought over what he should say to him. Admittedly, he was excited for Kuro to move in and spend more time with him. “I didn’t offer my home to you out of pity or anything like that. I thought you would make a good roommate and it’ll be fun to have someone to share a meal with.”

“Are you sure you want me for a roommate? I suck at doing chores.” Kuro faced him and their eyes met. A soft smile brightened Mahiru’s face as he lifted his pinky finger towards him.

“I’ll do the housework if you carry my grocery bags when we go out to buy food.” In answer, Kuro wrapped his pinky around his finger. “It looks like we’re roommates now.”


End file.
